by Casey Crisp
“Not you!” One of our taller players protested. “Rose is way better.”
Some of the other girls giggled at Sydney’s look of outrage while she glared at Hadley Carpathia with narrowed eyes. “Of course, Rose can try. Just don’t come crying to me when she loses.”
I frowned, decidedly fed up with her attitude. “I won’t lose.”
“So you say,” Ryder spoke up, and I was temporarily suspended by the deep, husky tone of his voice offering nothing short of a challenge. “You might lose against me.”
I met his gaze with newfound determination. A chance to put Sydney in her place and gain the respect of my teammates. “Let’s find out.”
The others started clapping and whooping excitedly as if this was the highlight of their day, retreating to the edges of the court to watch the action unfold. I rolled back my shoulders while Ryder reached up for his hair, pulling it back into an elastic band. The muscles in his arms flexed appealingly from his actions. “Come on!” I huffed impatiently. “What’s the game?”
Ryder chuckled. “How about an old fashioned game of Horse?”
“Easy enough,” I said, looking back over my shoulder. “Someone toss me a ball so that I can start.”
“Who says you get to go first?” Ryder teased.
Not giving in to his provocation, I held my head determinedly. “Ladies first, right? Or are you not a gentleman?”
Ryder laughed and nodded his consent, allowing me to start with something easy. My best shot was from the elbow, the spot extending out from the free throw line. Since I was taller, I was often placed at the power forward position. This meant that my ideal shots were located around the close vicinity of the goal. Unfortunately, facing off against Ryder meant that he could shoot from virtually anywhere on the court.
Needless to say, after attempting several shots from inside the square, I confirmed that he wouldn't be so easily deterred. I would have to gamble with a shot outside of my usual range, leading me to unfamiliar territory, and I situated my feet shoulder-width apart on the floor. In these circumstances, I never failed to resort back to the basics when I was nervous. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I shot the ball high into the air, watching with worry as it circled around the rim like everything was suddenly moving in slow-motion. Thankfully, it had enough rotation, allowing the shot to sink through the net, and the collective exhales from my teammates were perfectly audible. Meanwhile, Ryder grinned as he steadied his posture for his own attempt. His shot looked good at first, but I watched triumphantly as it banked off to the side. The girls cheered loudly from the sidelines for our small victory. Meanwhile, Ryder nodded in a somewhat conceding manner. “It’s not over yet, ladies.”
The game continued for nearly half an hour, and I found myself impressed with Ryder’s shooting skills. My own shooting abilities had remained relatively stable over the years, bordering on the edge of sub-par under most circumstances. I was just relieved because my nerves hadn’t managed to shake me like they usually did under pressure. Maybe the key was to play someone with my pride at stake? Or, perhaps it amounted to nothing more than possessing years of experience performing in these situations.
In any case, Ryder and I were both at ‘HORS’ which meant that one more letter would end the game. The ball was in my command, and I wanted to keep that advantage. “Shall I go back to the elbow?” I wondered aloud, glancing over at him. It was remarkably easy to share Ryder’s contagious personality.
“You might not get the same results as last time,” he teased in return.
“Try a three?” Sydney suggested, knowing perfectly well that the shot was well outside of my range.
I wasn’t afraid to admit it either because I had no desire to inflate my ego. All of my missed shots had fallen victim to messy three-point attempts. “Do you want to lose?” I asked my irritating co-captain, allowing my mounting frustrations to finally explode, exposing my true feelings towards this unusual predicament.
Ryder chuckled. “Don’t lose your cool now, Starr.”
“Free throw,” I declared before standing behind the line. I quietly made the shot, and I waited for him to do the same.
Of course, it was no problem for Ryder either who offered me a dismissive shrug. “Maybe we should switch?” Aria suddenly ventured.
She started in our direction, grinning at Beckett who was watching from the sidelines. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, I’ll take Rose’s place and someone else can take Ryder’s place.”
“I’m fine with that.” I shrugged, tossing Aria the ball. “You know that I’m just going to mess around the square anyway.”
“It is boring,” Ryder admitted, and I tried not to react to the passive insult. “But not unexpected from a forward.”
Ryder turned around, calling one of his players who reluctantly stepped forward.
“Good luck,” I told Aria, watching as she immediately went for the three-point line.
I finally joined my teammates who offered me various congratulations for my performance. Even Braelynn Starr herself slung an arm around my shoulders. “Nice job, Rose.”
“I’m just glad it’s over,” I whispered before refocusing on the shooting competition. “I think Aria is feeling confident.”
“This is the last shot.” Aria grinned, decidedly content with her newfound position. “Right, Beckett?”
Beckett glared at Aria, but I noticed an undeniable affection behind his gaze. Meanwhile, the competition continued without interruption, even as Ryder suddenly appeared next to my side. “Hey, Starr,” Ryder said, drawing my attention. His gaze was unblinking, and I felt ridiculously warm. “Nice game.”
“Really?” I quivered, swallowing hard to manage some expression of gratitude because his unanticipated praise made me feel grateful for more than just a competitive victory. “Thank you, Ryder.”
Three Weeks Later
Brynn
“This is the Student Council lounge?” I hesitantly inquired as I followed Aria down the staircase. After assuring me repeatedly that Venir and his friends were busy with classes, Aria finally introduced me to the mysterious lounge that the school allowed the boys to use as their personal retreat.
“What do you think?” she asked, but there was a degree of timidity in her tone, which suggested that she really wanted my approval.
“It’s different,” I admitted because I was nothing short of overwhelmed, but why was everything so expensive? For example, the spiral staircase descended into a lavishly decorated four-walled recreational facility, and it had probably been a former classroom of some kind before it was repurposed. The walls had been painted a neutral black color, the ceiling was low-hanging, and the floors were carpeted with a dark-blue fringe.
Actually, when I really thought about it, I immediately questioned what kind of Student Council lounge required a full-service bar? Or the grand piano where Aria was entertaining herself? The best I could manage was a mental picture of my surroundings to describe to my younger sister because Nicole would practically salivate when she heard about this unexpected discovery.
“I think it’s a lot,” Aria said. “They made some new additions.”
“The gaming table or the refrigerator?” I asked, easing my way between adjoining leather settees that were arranged in a tight square. “I would never leave,” I said, stumbling back against the piano.
“You wouldn’t really need to leave,” Aria agreed, attention squarely focused on the sheet music in front of her. “They enjoy coming down here.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“But only when they don’t have classes,” Aria elaborated. “Aren’t we lucky to have study hall instead?”
“I guess so,” I said. “It’s actually a little intimidating.”
Aria quietly resumed her position at the piano. “I get that, but it still gives me an opportunity to practice between classes.”
Aria was constantly worried about practicing, and during the past few we
eks, I had discovered that Aria possessed an enviable passion for music. She could play the guitar, the violin, and the harp in addition to the piano that she was studying with intense scrutiny. “Do you want to play something?” I asked, sitting down on the bench next to her.
“I don’t know...” She trailed off anxiously.
“I’d like to hear you.”
Aria nodded, relaxing her shoulders before hovering her fingers above the keys. Her music was beautiful, and she seemed comfortable while playing several melodies before abruptly losing the beat. The mistakes were rare, but I guess the smallest details were rather problematic. “I’m still not very good,” she groaned, slumping her head against my shoulder in defeat.
I reached back to offer her consolation until an unexpected and heavily-accented voice interrupted our session.“You’re still off-key?” Venir grimaced as he entered the room.
I frantically looked at Aria, but she seemed unconcerned. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“How many friends are you bringing down here during your study hall?” V countered, leaning over Aria to brace one hand against the piano.
“This is considered studying, you know.”
“Is that your excuse?” V questioned. “For your composition? Perhaps you should reconsider doing it on guitar.”
Aria shook her head. “That’s mean and unsupportive.”
“Well, let me show you how it’s supposed to sound. Otherwise, your friend will think so low of our talents.”
Aria wordlessly allowed Venir full access to the grand piano, resting her hands against his shoulders. “You never told me why you weren’t in class.”
“Well, I was learning about the intricacies of politica in the nineteenth century,” V said as he flipped through the sheet music. “But I heard those sour minor notes all the way upstairs in my history classroom.”
She shook her head in my direction. “This is my passive aggressive support system.”
“Aria, listen to my composition,” V suggested softly, and I watched as his fingers moved across the ivory keys to construct a distantly familiar melody that reminded me of something quite serene. Likewise, I admired the concentration on his face because he obviously enjoyed playing very much.
“He does it on purpose,” Aria said, quickly noticing my attentiveness. “He knows that girls can’t resist him.”
V paused for a moment, and a broad smile formed across his lips. “You should let me teach you, Aria. Come around here and I’ll at least try to help with your positioning.”
“No!” Aria immediately protested, and I was surprised when her skin blossomed with red.
“Are you remembering something?”
“You’re too much,” Aria retorted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I wouldn’t do anything in front of your friend.”
“V!” Aria scolded him, and it was my turn to blush. “Please go back to class.”
“I’d rather stay down here.”
“What if I leave?” Aria challenged him, but her malice was obviously fabricated
“And go where?” V asked. “I know that you don’t like the library. However, I don’t remember seeing your name on the Student Council board.”
Aria ignored his comment. “Brynn and I have to work on a biology project.”
“I won’t bother you.”
“Well, I don’t think you’re being generous,” Aria said, leading me further away from the grand piano. “Actually, I know that you just want to keep an eye on me.”
“You’ve been known to be mischievous,” V remarked. “I heard what you did at Beckett’s basketball practice.”
“That was a fair trade. They had every opportunity to decline,” she protested, shaking her head while pulling out her biology textbook. “He’s ridiculous.”
“I think he’s nice,” I whispered as we settled amongst the elegant settees.
“He’s perfectly capable,” Aria agreed teasingly, opening her textbook to the second chapter. “Do you have any ideas for the project?”
Aria expressed an admirable amount of enthusiasm for an inconsequential biology project. Perhaps she thought that it was interesting, building a model habitat with plastic bottles to imitate an accurate biome. “We could make different levels to represent the land, the sea and the underground. We can also get real animals,” I explained. “A fish for the water and maybe some worms for the decomposers?”
“I like the way you think,” Aria said. “Can you write down the stuff we need? I’ll go buy it after school.”
“How will you get there? You don’t have a car, so I guess that you just expected me to take you somewhere?” V abruptly asked without pausing in his practiced movements against the piano keys.
“If you don’t, then I can ask one of the other boys,” Aria said, rolling her eyes playfully at me.
“We can start with the notes,” I said, settling back against the rather uncomfortable furniture, but I assumed that it was purchased for its design. In the background, the addition of V’s harmonious melodies provided the perfect music for studying. An easy means of sharpening my focus, losing myself in a studious headspace as I concentrated hard on our efforts.
Honestly, I had been too worried about classes at Arlington because of the school’s reputation, but Aria was an ace student. She frequently offered to help me study when I was confused about a concept. It almost made me feel bad for the other students who ignored her because they were only hurting themselves by disregarding someone who obviously cared way too much about helping others. My two worst subjects had always been science and math, but Aria made even the most difficult concepts accessible with the careful way that she focused on the little details that our instructors left out of our lectures.
It all amounted to her kindhearted nature, and I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that Aria Nicolai was one of the best people I had ever met. A fact that my fellow classmates and team members needed to understand if they could ever figure out a way to separate Aria from the Student Council President they admired. Aria was funny and sharp, quick-witted and well-spoken, and she deserved better than the wealthy socialites who liked to brag about how much their Versace bags cost.
However, I didn’t realize that I was distracted by my thoughts until I recognized the sound of the school bell ringing for dismissal, but I also never really considered it until a sudden influx of voices alerted me to footsteps on the staircase. I shuffled through my notes absent-mindedly, and I finally looked away from my work when the noise grew louder. Thereafter, I immediately froze when I realized that Alex and Chrystian had both joined us in the Student Council lounge.
“What’s this?” Alex asked, deciding that he wanted to stand in front of me, and our books and notes were strewn across the floor. “You’re making a mess in the lounge. I told V that you would ruin the sanctity of our hideout and he gave you permission anyway.”
“He’s not paying much attention,” Chrystian said before sitting down next to me with a loud exhale. I was aware of his gaze, even as I succumbed to the incessant desire to keep my eyes pointedly fixed on my textbook.
“Venir!” Alex called out for his friend. “Don’t you realize what she’s doing?”
“I’m busy,” he returned without turning away from the piano.
“I shouldn’t have expected anything from him.” Alex sighed, and he adjusted the buttons on his shirt sleeve. “Miss Starr, I didn’t know that you were allowed down here.”
“I gave her permission,” Aria replied, and I silently thanked her because I had no reply for Alex’s unnecessary comment. But it was often difficult to match his arrogant assuredness, a realization that was slowly coming to fruition the longer I endured his regular teasing. I was also learning more about Alex’s character, courtesy of the time we had spent together in our shared first period class, and I knew that he liked nothing more than to push people until they were left broken. A friendly character trait that I’m sure made him
the life of a party.
“What are the two of you working on?” Chrystian asked, reaching for my notes.
I quickly snatched them back. “Don’t get them out of order!”
“Our biology project,” Aria said. “We’re working on the second chapter.”
Chyrstian smirked knowingly. “Is this why you can never get any writing done, Brynn?”
“This has nothing to do with that.”
“Are you a writer as well, Miss Starr?” Alex chuckled. “Ah, it all makes sense now.”
“What?” I asked, frowning as he fell back against the wall.
“Ignore him,” Aria advised, scribbling away on her notepad. “He thinks he’s really clever.”
“How much longer will this take?” Alex asked. “Honestly, this is a room for relaxation.”
“You can always go somewhere else,” Aria suggested, still rummaging through her notes. “I’m pretty sure the school designed this room for Student Council affairs which means relaxation is a foreign concept.”
“Honestly, Venir!” Alex attempted to complain to his friend once again, glancing back in V’s direction. “Your girlfriend is trying to tell me what to do. You’ve given her too much free reign.”
“Brynn,” Chrystian interrupted, immediately drawing my attention. “Have you started our short story assignment?”
“No,” I begrudgingly admitted, hating the triumphant look in his eyes.
“You seem to be a procrastinator, Miss Starr,” Alex mused. “This will never do for an aspiring writer.”
“Leave her alone, she isn’t procrastinating now, is she?”
“How much longer?” V suddenly asked, joining the others with a languid stretch. I followed the sound of his voice, obtaining my first glimpse at the three friends with their personalities on clear display. For example, I was starting to despise Alex’s mischievous smirk and the way his dark eyes narrowed. He stood in clear opposition to Chrystian, and his parted lips emphasized the inquisitiveness that he wore like a mask whenever he was thinking deeply about something. I was also starting to finally understand the tangible power that the three boys commanded. Perhaps it was because of the influence that I had started to notice from watching the other students respect them. Or, perhaps, it was because I knew that they came from affluent backgrounds, possessing different talents that even a casual observer would highly regard. In any case, I found myself growing more aware of their presence the longer I remained embroiled in the daily politics of Arlington Academy.
